The Last Five Years
by Meyx
Summary: Yuffentine fic. The typical "boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy loses girl" story, told with a twist. Based off the play of the same name by Jason Robert Brown.
1. Still Hurting

A/N: Hey you guys, it's Meyx! This story is by far one of my favorites to write. Now, keep an open mind when reading. It's not a typical Yuffentine. It's told through both of their POVs, but Yuffie's story goes backwards, starting at the end of their marriage, and ending at the end of their first date. Vincent, meanwhile, tells the story chronologically.

Hopefully, the story will speak for itself, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Just review or PM me, and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Happy reading!

**Disclaimer: **Nope. Not mine. Otherwise, I'd be rich and mildly famous.

* * *

Still Hurting (Yuffie)

_Vincent is over and Vincent is gone  
Vincent's decided it's time to move on  
Vincent has new dreams he's building upon  
And I'm still hurting  
Vincent arrived at the end of the line  
Vincent's convinced that the problems are mine  
Vincent is probably feeling just fine  
And I'm still hurting_

I sat down on the sofa, looking around at the nearly empty room and holding the note Vincent had left behind on the entryway table yesterday. I had walked in, and instead of seeing his keys laying there, I saw a piece of paper folded in half. It had detailed little, simple things. He had closed our joint bank account, he had already packed his things…but I didn't pay attention to any of that. I couldn't get past the first line.

_I want a divorce._

The last few lines had reproachfully stated that it shouldn't be a surprise; after all, "we'd known this was coming for a while." Regardless, it stung harshly. I'd been trying for so long to salvage this marriage, so the ending hurt, no matter how much I knew it was going to happen.

Once it had set in, I'd called Tifa. She was one of the few people who I could rely on for support here.

"Strife Delivery Service! You name it, we deliver it!" She answered cheerily.

"Tifa?" I asked softly, sadness permeating my voice even though I tried to keep it back.

"Yuffie? What happened?" She asked quickly.

"Vincent…Vincent left me." I told her, sitting down at the kitchen table.

She didn't gasp, to her credit, nor did she rush in with a quick scream of "Ohmygodwhathappened?" all in one word. She just stayed quiet, and I could practically see her nodding.

"Are you okay?" She asked simply.

"No," I said honestly, pushing my hair back from my face. "I'm not surprised, but I'm not okay, either."

"You will be, with time." She said calmly, and I remembered why I loved her. "Do you need a place to stay?"

"Oh, no, honey, I don't want to do that to you and Cloud…" I started to say.

"Well, are you really going to stay in that apartment by yourself?" She asked.

Before I could reply, she started to talk over me, and I began to remember why I never called her anymore.

"You'll stay with us, Yuffie. Cloud won't mind. I'll come pick you up tomorrow, is that okay? Or would you rather I come tonight?"

"Tomorrow. I need some time to pack up my things."

"Okay. I'll be there around 7 in the evening, is that okay?" When I said yes, she hesitated, then asked softly. "Did…did Vincent say _why?_"

I sighed. "Not in so many words. Just that we had both seen it coming for a while now, that he 'could never fix me', and that…well…he said that he'd be staying with Lucrecia, if I needed to get a hold of him."

"His agent?" Tifa hissed.

"Yeah. Now I better go, Teef. I need to start packing. I'll see you tomorrow." Then I hung up, and after a few minutes of staring aimlessly, I headed to the grocery store to pick up some cardboard boxes.

I packed my things all night long, refusing to sleep until I passed out from pure exhaustion and stress on the floor, next to a half filled box. I didn't sleep well. My dreams were filled with darkness and running and falling and my own inadequacy.

OoOoOoO

Packing got harder as the next day went on. How do you divide up things that had always belonged to two people? I found myself puzzling over different items, wondering if it was mine or Vincent's, or if I had a right to take it with me even though it had been given to us both.

Once I finally finished the living room and kitchen, the only room left was ours. I spent very little time in there, simply grabbing all my clothes and books and toiletries that I hadn't brought with me to Healin and slamming them carelessly into a box, trying to avoid looking around too much and struggling with the fact that I'd never sleep in this room again.

It didn't feel right, being in here without Vincent, and knowing I wouldn't live with him again. I tried to repress that thought, but it kept coming back, and I finally started to cry, the first time I'd done so since I read the note he left me.

_Why now? Why couldn't he give me some more time? I had just barely gotten back from Healin…I hadn't even had time to see him._

I sighed softly, wiping my tears off with the back of my hand and forcing myself to keep going. If he had just given me some more time, maybe I'd be able to see how he was suddenly certain we would never work out, no matter what. I knew we had tons of problems, but I had thought with a little extra work, we'd be okay.

That's when Tifa knocked on the door, and I let her in softly. She launched herself at me and hugged me tightly. I was a little surprised, since the tackling of each other was usually my job, but I was grateful for the love. After a few minutes, she pulled away and smiled gently at me.

We silently packed up my boxes and put them in the trunk of her car, taking the ones that wouldn't fit and putting them in the backseat. All in all, I had 7 boxes of things, most of the boxes only half filled. The last five years of my life, all the memories, laughter, smiles, love, tears, and heartache, packed into 7 cardboard boxes from a grocery store down the street.

The thought almost sent me over the edge again, but one look at Tifa's encouraging look made me breathe easier. I wasn't alone, even if I felt like it. I went back into the building and ran up the flight of stairs to our apartment, locking the door with my key. I then pulled it off the key ring I kept with me everywhere I go, and slipped it under the rug. I stared at the door for a long moment, then closed my eyes and exhaled heavily.

A few seconds later, I was downstairs and in front of Tifa's car. We got in, and she pulled away from the building, heading towards her bar. Cloud, her husband, was waiting for us outside. Cloud and Tifa ran a delivery service and a bar, with their living quarters on the floor above the bar.

Cloud helped us with the boxes, and Tifa directed me to the guest bedroom, a cozy little space with light green walls and a twin bed with a white and green bedspread. The window was open, the breeze blowing in gently, moving the white drapes. I sat down on the bed and stared out the window. I was still there when Cloud brought up the last box.

"You okay, Yuffie?" He asked softly.

"No," I said, exhaling. "Maybe there's a life lesson in here somewhere, but I'm not in a position to learn from it just yet."

He nodded. "You'll be alright, though. I know you will."

"Maybe…if I get an apartment and never leave it till I'm a crotchety old lady with a million cats." I said with a smile playing on my lips.

He smiled back at me and kissed my cheek swiftly, handing me my purse and setting the box on the floor.

"Tifa's making dinner. You hungry?"

"Not really, but I'll come eat with you. Yell when it's ready, okay?"

He nodded and left, and I stared out the window again. Cloud and Tifa were right. I _would _be okay, in time. I was still hurting deeply from scars that I didn't do anything to earn, but eventually, I'd be alright.

For right now, though, I was allowed a moment to be selfish and cry into my pillow. When Tifa yelled for me, though, I'd smile and pretend to be fine, eat with them, and maybe even laugh.

_Life goes on. _I thought. _I'll live._

Then a bird flew lazily past my window, singing loudly as it went, and another smile tugged at my lips.

_No, I won't just live. I'll _thrive.

* * *

Vincent's part's already finished, so it should be up in like 20 minutes. Thanks for reading!


	2. Wutai Goddess

A/N: So, I hate it when people hold stories hostage, so even though I have no reviews yet, I understand it's only the first day, so I should upload what I have. The next chapter might take a while though, since I'm going to see Wicked tomorrow (AHHH!!!!!!) and have homework to finish. But I'll write fast, I promise!

All of you who have read the first chapter, thank you.

* * *

**Wutai Goddess (Vincent)**

_I say, "Hey, hey, Wutai Goddess,_

_I've been waiting for someone  
I've been praying for someone  
I think that I could be in love with someone  
Like You"_

Cloud and I waited outside the theater for almost a half hour, watching the women pass us by, but none of them the one I was waiting for. I glanced around nervously, and Cloud chuckled at me.

"Calm down, Vincent. She'll be here."

I thought back to the first night I met her. I was at Cloud's place, which was the loft over Seventh Heaven. Seventh Heaven was the name of the bar owned by Tifa, Cloud's longtime girlfriend. They lived together above it, and I was always over there when I wasn't writing. Cloud was good company, and Tifa could cook well and make a damn good drink besides. They were having one of their parties when I saw her. Now, I'd seen her before, at more than one of Tifa's parties, but I'd never talked to her.

She was small, tiny, even. Her hair was cropped in an odd cross between a pixie and a bob, held back by a headband. She was leaning against the bar, laughing and smiling at something Barret, a good friend of Tifa's, was saying. But her eyes were darting around, looking for an escape. I wish I could say I played the part of the hero and swooped in and saved her. No such luck. I tried, though. Tifa was just a lot faster than me, pushing a pale-skinned guy with bright red hair towards the girl, who quickly welcomed the distraction and said her goodbyes to Barret.

I saw her again the next morning. I had left my tie behind and came back to get it. She answered the door warily, barely opening it wider than a book's width.

"The bar's not open for another six hours," she said, trying for intimidating but failing miserably in her bunny slippers. "If you need a delivery, the entrance is –"

"My name is Vincent; I'm a friend of Cloud's. I left my tie here last night after the party." I said softly, and she suddenly smiled.

"Oh okay! Come on in!" She opened the door widely and smiled again at me. "Tifa and I started cleaning last night, but we both were so tired…"

She gestured around at the half clean bar as if to say, "Oh well."

I grinned and grabbed my tie from a chair and slung it around my neck. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name." I said.

"Yuffie. Yuffie Kisaragi." She said, grinning.

"Well, thanks, Yuffie. I have a meeting with an editor later, I kind of needed this."

"An editor?" She asked quizzically.

"I'm a writer," I explained, and told her a little bit of my career, or lack of it, and she grinned.

"An aspiring artist of the word…I knew I liked you!" She said, grinning happily. "I'm an aspiring artist of the stage." When I didn't get it, she laughed and told me she was an actress, or, at least, she wanted to be. Meanwhile, she waited tables at a local restaurant and helped out at Seventh Heaven.

We talked and laughed for about ten more minutes before Tifa came downstairs in an oversized tee-shirt and cheer shorts, stumbling around and rubbing her eyes. I greeted her and she smiled sleepily, heading straight for the coffee maker. Yuffie giggled softly, and when Tifa had downed enough coffee to form a sentence, she asked me what I was doing here. I told her, holding up my tie, and she nodded.

"How'd you lose it, anyway?"

I smiled. "It was too tight, the room was too hot. I took it off and promptly forgot about it."

We heard laughter coming from the stairs, and Cloud walked in, wearing a pair of pajama pants and pulling a black tank top over his head.

"Sounds just like you, Vincent." He said, kissing Tifa's cheek and swiping a drink of her coffee.

She swatted him away and Yuffie giggled at his smirk. Tifa offered me some food, which I politely declined. I said my goodbyes and left, intending to take a shower and hurry to my meeting, picking up something to eat on the way.

I did, and when I got home that night, letting myself into the apartment I'd owned for years, I noticed my answering machine blinking, which it hadn't done for a few days. I pressed the playback button while getting myself a soda and loosening my tie.

"Mr. Valentine, this is Lucretia Crescent, your new agent, remember me? I was just calling to remind you of…" The message was brief, just telling me my schedule. This woman was a genius; she had managed to find a ton of people who might be interested in my new storyline.

None of them were yet, but I wasn't giving up. The next few messages were from telemarketers, and I skipped them before playing the last one.

"Hey, Vincent, this is Yuffie, remember me?"

I stood there, shocked, wondering how she'd gotten my number.

"Cloud gave me your number; sorry if I'm being too forward."

_There's one question answered,_ I thought dryly, a smile appearing on my lips.

"Anyway, I was just wondering if you'd like to…go get a smoothie or something! Oh man that sounded stupid, sorry!"

I chuckled softly at the endearing way she rambled for a bit. Then she got back to the point.

"Anywho, I'd really like to see you again, so call me, okay? My number is 553-8746." She waited a second, then repeated it. "Well, sorry for the long message! Hope to hear from you!" Then, softer, "Bye…"

My grin slowly got wider and I had to resist temptation to jump up and down or something. I saved the message and then called Cloud, thanking him profusely.

"You'd be good for her." He finally said when I stopped for breath. "Tifa thinks so too."

"How long have they been friends?" I asked idly, quickly grabbing an apple off the counter.

"Years. They met when Tifa went to her uncle's funeral in Wutai."

"Yuffie's Wutai?" I asked incredulously.

Cloud laughed. "You couldn't tell? Yes, she is. Born and raised."

I grinned wider, then made some excuses and hung up. My mother would kill me if she could see me, but right then I didn't give a damn. I had been brought up in a strict Goddess-worshipping home. My parents paid homage to Minerva, and any other deity was considered sacrilegious; any other religion was considered wrong. This was _especially _true of people of Wutai. They were devoted to Leviathan, the "god of the sea." My parents, who were devout in their monotheistic faith, scorned the generally polytheistic Wutai people, except for the few converts we had.

I was never allowed to date outside of our religion, and my parents were always setting me up with some "nice girl" who worshipped with them.

I had gone to Sunday school every week, taken all my religion classes, and learned all about my Mother Goddess. And it was a load of Chocobo crap. I did believe Minerva was a goddess, but this "marry inside the faith" thing was foolishness. I was pretty sure Minerva wouldn't damn me if I went on _one_ date with a girl from Northern Wutai. Besides, I hadn't been to one of Minerva's cathedrals in years.

_Although…maybe it wouldn't hurt to say a prayer at her shrine. For luck._ I told myself.

OoOoOoO

A week later, after days and days of trying to work up the nerve to call her, I had a date with Yuffie. We were going to see the newest comedy, and then go out for dessert at her favorite café.

Normally, I'm not one to obsess over my appearance, but tonight, I felt justified in taking longer than usual to decide what to wear, since I was going on a date for the first time in months. As I pulled on a shirt, I realized that hair was really getting long; it reached to my chin at the longest point and a few pieces kept falling in my eyes. But I liked the length, as annoying as it was sometimes. I glanced in the mirror, glad that my eyes didn't look too tired from being up all night writing. Sometimes my vampire hours get me in trouble.

I left my apartment quickly, meeting Cloud at Seventh Heaven and then driving to the theater, where he'd walk home from. This left me back where we started; waiting for the girl I was already convincing myself I was half in love with.

"There she is. Stop daydreaming. Have fun, Vincent." Cloud said, pushing me out of my car and disappearing in less than three seconds.

Yuffie saw me and waved energetically, practically bouncing. She was wearing shorts and a camisole with a vest over it, all in colors that should have clashed but somehow worked on her. She also had on a pair of knee-high tennis shoes, which I didn't even know existed, but found oddly appealing, like her.

We went into the movie, which Yuffie loved, and I found mildly amusing. Afterwards, we drove to the café, where Yuffie ordered a banana split with extra whipped cream and two cherries on top. I had a coffee and a brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

"Unimaginative," she scoffed under her breath. "You'll never be a good writer that way, Vince."

I wasn't sure what to be more offended at: that she thought I was unimaginative, that she thought I was destined to be a bad writer, or that she was calling me Vince. Nicknames weren't my thing; my name is my name, so use _it, _not something else.

"Then what would you do?" I asked, still taken aback.

She sized me up, and still looking at me, said to the waitress, "Fudge sauce on the brownie, but not on the ice cream. And extra whipped cream on the top."

After the waitress left I shook my head. "She's gonna be pissed for our complicated order."

"Actually, it's not that hard to do, and only takes an extra five seconds. Most waitresses don't mind it, and like the more interesting orders."

When I glanced at her skeptically, she laughed, and it sounded like pealing bells.

"I'm a waitress, Vince, I would know. It's more fun if a customer asks for some obscure item or for something you don't make often. It shakes things up." She said, still grinning.

I left it at that, and proceeded to ask her the normal questions you ask your first date. She waved her hands dismissively at me before breaking apart a pair of disposable chopsticks.

"Let's leave off those. You really don't want to know my last boyfriend's name, what my father did for a living, how my mother died, or if I have siblings. So ask me anything. Really, anything."

Surprised, I said the first thing that came to mind. "What are you doing with those chopsticks?"

I was rewarded with a huge smile that was obscured for a brief second as the waitress set down our desserts and my coffee.

"This," Yuffie said cheerily, and began to eat the whipped cream off her ice cream with the chopsticks.

I laughed, and she smiled, avoiding the cherries. When she finished all the whipped cream, she tossed a cherry at me. I ate it quickly, and she did the same before tying the stem into a knot with her tongue. Intending to try and impress me or something, she thrust it at me and said, "Ha!" rather loudly. I just responded by opening my mouth, catching my stem in my front teeth. There were two knots tied in it, in less time than it had taken her to tie one.

Yuffie looked shocked, then impressed.

"Okay, you got me," she said, smiling at me.

OoOoOoO

I kissed her when we parted ways. I didn't mean to; it just sort of happened. She was heading to her apartment, just across the street, and I was going to my car. She said goodnight, and then I leaned in to hug her. I just forgot what I was doing on the way there and bent down to kiss her. At first, all I could think of was how tall she made me feel. She was barely 5 feet 3 inches, if that, and I was exactly 6 feet tall. Then my lips slanted over hers, and height was the last thing on my mind. She wrapped her arms around my neck and fit perfectly against me, and I could feel her smile. She tasted like ice cream and bananas and cherries and a bit of coffee, which confirmed my suspicion that she had drank from my mug when I went to the bathroom. It was amazing.

Since it _was _our first date, I pulled away quickly, but couldn't erase the feeling of her breath mingling with mine. Yuffie smiled softly at me, for once not bouncing or laughing, and waved lightly.

"Goodnight, Vincent." She said softly, and walked past me, not looking back.

I had just gotten in my car when I heard her cheer "Yes!" a few times, and caught her victory dance in my rearview mirror. I just grinned and touched my lips, reminding myself to thank Cloud and Tifa in the morning.

* * *

OOC, I know, but I think this is adorable. The idea for Yuffie's chopstick whipped cream routine came from Sekihara Tae's fic, "Day to Day Life". I hope you don't mind me stealing. *blush* But I have a cousin who does the same thing, her story just reminded me of it. Go check it out, it's really good. Made me do more than one fangirl squeal, and a couple happy dances in bed hahaha. Anyway, thanks again for reading! Please review!

-Meyx


	3. See, I'm Smiling

**A/N:** Hey you guys, I know it's been a while, sorry, but I've been at my grandma's ALL week without my Word documents *dies a little*

From now on, I'll try to do an update each week...but those of you who know me know I'm SUCH a procrastinator and I'm super busy lately. Anyway, I know you aren't really listening to this and want to just read the story, so here is the latest Yuffie installment. Remember, her story moves backwards, so at this point, she's still in Healin. And you get a lot of insight as to why the marriage failed...from her point of view, at least. Enjoy, and thank you so so so so much for reading!!

xoxo, Meyx

* * *

**See, I'm Smiling (Yuffie)**

_See, we're laughing  
I think we're gonna be okay  
I mean, we'll have to try a little harder  
And bend things to and fro  
To make this love as special  
As it was five years ago_

The only thought that ran through my head when I saw him walking towards me was a shocked, "He really showed up!"

5 years ago, I would have run to him, jumped into his arms, and kissed him as if I hadn't seen him in years. But I wasn't a 22-year-old newlywed anymore; I was a 27-year-old woman with a failing marriage. So I just smiled and waved hopefully at him.

He smiled lightly at me, but even from a distance I could see the strain on his face as he locked his car door and walked towards me. As he got closer, I could see that his clothes were rumpled, as if he'd worn them recently and hadn't washed them yet. He looked tired, and when he finally hugged me, I stiffened.

He smelled like perfume. Another woman's perfume.

"Vincent?" I asked, pulling back.

"Huh? Oh!" He shrugged out of his jacket and gave me a half-hearted laugh. "Lucrecia's been going over business with me all morning in her office. You know how much perfume she wears. Sorry about that, Yuff."

Once his jacket was in his car, I hugged him again. The smell was much fainter now, and I almost believed him. But he'd been spending too much time with Lucrecia in the past two years for me to be able to trust that there was nothing going on with her.

_But if there _is _something going on with her…maybe it's a little bit of my fault. If I wasn't so bitter all the time…_

Vincent had been so successful in his writing from almost the moment he started. Meanwhile, I had been trying to get taken seriously in the musical theater since I was 17, ten years now. And while he had parties thrown in honor of his newest review, I was stuck in Healin, playing the supporting roles in plays that no one showed up to.

Sure, I was resentful of his success. But I hadn't meant to be so mean to him.

_Maybe I brought this on myself… _

Then I shook my head. I didn't even know if he was cheating. I had nothing to worry about. Vincent wouldn't do that to me…right?

OoOoOoO

I showed him around the theater, and watched his eyes sparkle with suppressed laughter when he saw the pitiful cardboard attempt at a background.

"What play?" He asked, clearly confused.

"Loveless." I said, smiling when he laughed out loud.

"And who are you playing?" He asked playfully. "Let me guess…The Woman?"

None of the characters in Loveless had any names. They were referred to as "The Hero", "The Traveler", "The Prisoner", "The Woman", etc. etc.

I shook my head, laughing.

"No, Shalua got that role. I'm the Traveler." I said, smiling. "My hair's too short to be the Woman."

He nodded, touching the background and smiling.

"You know, my parents never let me see this play. They said it was sacrilegious, because Loveless is the holy book of Minerva worshippers."

I smiled absently, unsure of how to respond to that. With horrible timing, Reeve walked by, nodding at Vincent and smiling at me.

"Yuffie, curtain call's in an hour." He reminded me, and I nodded back.

As if anyone would really show up for this show, but I'd start getting ready to humor him and the rest of our "cast."

I led Vincent backstage to my closet of a dressing room that I shared with Shalua and her pet snake. My coworker wasn't there yet, so Vincent sat in her chair and watched me get dressed into my costume, a shapeless and ugly button down shirt, dark brown pants, and a light brown menswear vest.

We joked a little bit about my costume, which I told him made me look manlier than him. He laughed at that one, really laughed, and I smiled. It'd been so long since I'd been able to make him laugh like that. Head thrown back, shoulders heaving, and tears popping up in the corner of his eyes…he was so handsome when he laughed like that. I mentally cursed myself for all the moments I'd lost, touring every summer for the past 3 years, and raising hell when I _was_ home.

Then again, he wasn't exactly the perfect spouse, either, always going to parties in his honor, flirting with every woman that threw themselves at him, all of that.

_No. I promised myself I wouldn't be bitter. He drove all the way here from Edge just to see me in this play, because he knew how happy I was to get a semi-leading role. I'm not a sulky child, I'm his wife. I'm turning a new leaf here. I'll make this work. No…_we'll_ make this work._

OoOoOoO

After more slightly strained banter about the play and introducing him to the other members of our cast…all four of them…it was almost curtain call. Vincent and I had found a quiet corner to be able to talk for a minute before I was onstage for the next three hours.

"I really think you'll like this show." I said, noting the careful distance we kept between us but forcing myself not to think about it.

"I'm sure I will." He said, looking around.

"I'm about 95% sure it doesn't suck, so…" I said, smiling.

Vincent chuckled softly and graced me with a smile. Half the time, I didn't know what he was thinking or feeling, especially towards me, but right then, looking at that smile, I felt this huge wave of hope. I just _knew_ it was going to work.

"So, I was thinking that we could go out to breakfast tomorrow…I know this really good café down the road. It comes with the territory of being here all summer." I said, keeping my voice light.

I knew it was a mistake when he wouldn't look at me.

"Yuffie…I can't stay for the weekend. I need to leave tonight."

I stared at him, shocked, and waited for an explanation.

"There's a book launch party in Kalm they need me at tomorrow," he started.

At that point, I wasn't even listening anymore.

_Unbelievable. Even when it's _my _moment, he makes it about himself._

"I can't listen to this right now." I said, jumping up. "Please, Vincent, just find a seat. We'll talk after the play."

Then I ran back to my dressing room, thanking Leviathan that Shalua was too busy feeding her snake to notice my tears.

OoOoOoO

The play went smoothly, even though Shalua forgot half her lines, and Genesis, the lead actor who played "the Prisoner" was clearly overacting. But his passion for the play shone through, and Sephiroth, our "Hero," made the girls swoon with his dashing good looks and dramatic reading. We weren't the best cast by any means, but after so many summers together, we'd become friends, and we worked as well as we could together.

After the curtain fell, Genesis gave me a quick hug, told me I did well and smiled at me. He, like Vincent's parents, was a devout Minerva worshipper, but he didn't see the play as sacrilegious; quite the opposite.

When I started to head back out to meet my husband, Genesis stopped me.

"Remember, Yuff," he told me, his voice lilting. "'There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess.' Whether you see that as Minerva or Shiva or even as a god, such as Leviathan, remember that you are beloved. No one can take that away from you."

"Damn it, Genesis, you're going to make me cry!" I said, hugging him and fighting tears. "Thank you."

He smiled. "What are friends for?"

He left before either one of us could answer, so I headed out to meet Vincent. When I got outside the theater, still wearing the button down shirt that was part of my costume, paired with a pair of my own cutoff short shorts and some flip flops, I ran up to Vincent, who was waiting by his car.

"You're really leaving tonight?" I said.

He nodded, and I sighed.

"Yuffie, I don't want to leave, but I have to go –" He started.

"No, Vincent, you don't _have _to go, you're _choosing_ to go_. _It's always like this! You could be here with me, or be in Kalm with them. As usual, guess who you're picking!"

"Yuffie–"

"You could stay here, just this once, Vincent! You haven't come to _any_ of my plays this summer, and the _one _time I ask you to stay for a weekend, you leave early!"

"What's your point, Yuffie?" He asked, and something inside me finally snapped.

"The point is that you can't go a single day that isn't about you! Everyone has to be bowing down to you and your prowess, look at him, Vincent Valentine, just 28 and already he's the savior of writing!" I shouted at him, my whole body shaking. "Everything in our marriage has always been about you! You're bursting through everything, spreading your wings and Vincent, I'm happy for you, really, I am, but you're leaving me behind! You're en route to the sky and the heavens, and I'm…I'm…"

I broke down crying then. And to my shock, he didn't do anything. He just stood there, watching me. His hair was covering his eyes, so I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but after about two seconds, my face was buried in my hands and I didn't care what he thought anymore.

_Have we really hit that point where I'm so unlovable he won't even comfort me?_

A few minutes later, I straightened up and wiped my face with the heel of my palm.

"I swear to Leviathan, I'll never understand how you can see me crying and not do anything about it." I whispered.

"Yuffie…" he murmured.

"Just go to your stupid party, Vincent. I'll see you when I get back to Edge in a few weeks."

Sighing, he got into his car and left, and I stood there, alone except for the setting sun, and stared at the sky.

"Happy birthday, Yuffie," I murmured to myself sadly.

Then I walked back in to the theater, trying to think of a good explanation to tell my fellow actors and my director why my husband wouldn't be joining us for my birthday dinner…and trying to think of a good reason to tell myself why he hadn't remembered I turned 27 that day.


	4. Moving Too Fast

**A/N:** OMG I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know what you're all thinking, "Holy crap! The b*tch updated!!" And I really am sorry that I haven't until now. But see, I have a legit excuse. I've been looking for a beta, and I finally found one! The lovely and wonderful **Heart of Friendship**!!!! I'm so glad she agreed to take this monster on. I'm not a single mother anymore!! LOL

And then I finished this, and the DOCUMENT GOT ACCIDENTALLY DELETED. *dies a little* I had a panic attack. But I rewrote it, and here it is!! Sorry it took so long, hope you can forgive me! I'm not happy with this one. I really don't like it. But I had to rewrite the whole thing from memory (which isn't that good to begin with) so I guess I just have to deal with it.

OH! And before I forget, I never explained the song lyrics at the beginning of each chapter! For those of you who haven't seen the play, it's a song cycle, so the whole story is told through songs sung back and forth between Cathy and Jamie (read: Yuffie and Vincent). So each chapter here is titled as the songs - in order - for each character. And the lyrics are bits of the song that I liked and that fit well. The first one, however, I obviously changed it to read Vincent instead of Jamie, for creative purposes. Now I'm going to shut up, since you don't want to listen to me ramble. Thanks so much for reading, it means the world to me!!!

* * *

**Moving too Fast (Vincent)**

_  
I'm feeling panicked and rushed and hurried  
I'm feeling outmaneuvered and outclassed  
But I'm so happy I can't get worried  
About this singular impression  
I've got a singular impression things are moving too fast _

"Are you serious?" I exclaimed into the mouthpiece of my cell phone.

When the woman on the other end confirmed that yes, she was serious, I shouted in joy, dropping the phone and grabbing Yuffie, who sitting on the couch, and spun her around. She exclaimed wordlessly, slapping her hands at me in protest to my manhandling, but I was too excited to put her down. So I kissed her, which shut her up for a moment.

"What happened?" She asked breathlessly when I put her down.

"Lucrecia called. The Shinra Times bought my first chapter!" I shouted, hugging her again.

"What does that mean?" She asked, confused.

"The first chapter of the novel I'm working on is getting published in the paper, Yuff! This is huge! I don't even have to rewrite anything; they're taking it as is!"

"How much are they paying you?" Yuffie asked, hugging me back before carefully pulling herself out of my grip.

I reached down and grabbed the phone. "Lucrecia, are you still there? Oh, good. Sorry about that."

Yuffie snorted, then wrapped her arms around me as I talked to my editor.

"So, what are they paying me?"

I waited a second, and her answer made me drop the phone again. Yuffie grabbed it before it hit the ground a second time, living up to her nickname of "The Great Ninja Yuffie."

"Lucrecia? Hey, sorry about that. I'll have Vinny call you back when he's breathing normally, okay?" She giggled. "Okay, talk to you later."

She snapped my phone closed and looked at me. "You okay?"

I grabbed her and kissed her again. She resisted for a quick second, but then melted into my embrace. When we came up for air, she quirked her eyebrow as if to say, "Well?"

"20,000 gil," I said, and her eyes widened.

"Leviathan!" Yuffie gasped, hugging me again.

I laughed and nodded, and we smiled at one another. Moments like this made it hard for me to try and slow down. Life was going so freaking _great_ right now. I had a woman I loved, one who was beautiful and spunky and quirky and just wonderful. I had a killer agent, who wouldn't take no for an answer and knew the perfect places to plug her newest author, and the perfect people to mention me to.

My apartment had sold quickly, and this new bonus came at the perfect time. Yuffie had already offered her place to me, and now with our combined incomes, mine getting higher and higher with each month; we could buy a bigger apartment next month.

We'd been dating around seven months, and I was head over heels for this girl. She practically lived at my place, and I at hers. Everything was rushed in our relationship, but she didn't seem to mind. My career had soared as soon as I met her; I called her my muse. Yuffie, meanwhile, had kind of taken a break from acting, getting disheartened at the lack of callbacks she had gotten. I was trying to get her back in the game, knowing how much she loved it, but she wasn't ready yet. I figured that I'd get to her soon enough; she just needed time.

_Time. Time!_

"That's it!" I shouted, letting go of Yuffie and running to my office.

I could hear her laugh behind me, used to my moods by now, and knowing I need to get this on paper before I forgot. She just headed into the kitchen to find something to eat, and I thanked Minerva for such an understanding and adorable girlfriend.

OoOoOoO

A few weeks later, we had moved in together, and Yuffie was teasing me about my vampire hours.

"You need to get some rest, Vinny!" She told me, making fried rice as she smiled at me, her voice stern but gentle. "I come home from Seventh Heaven at almost 3 AM every night, and you're still awake writing. It's not healthy, love."

I shook my head, putting away some new books I had bought that morning.

"I sleep during the day if I'm up late the night before, Yuff. Besides, I'm usually only up that late if I wake up with an idea."

"Uh-huh," She said, clearly not buying it.

But then she turned and smiled at me, clearly saying she didn't want to argue or fight with me, and I smiled back, hugging her as she cooked.

There was a knock at the door, and I opened it, revealing Cloud and Tifa, the former holding a bottle of wine, and the latter holding a tray of food, covered in foil.

"Hey guys!" I said, smiling at them and letting them in. Tifa kissed my cheek quickly, then hurried to help Yuffie finish dinner.

Cloud and I headed into the living room, knowing there wasn't enough room in the kitchen for all four of us to be in there at once. After setting up the T.V. to play music, he and I sat and talked for a few minutes.

"Vincent…are you sure you're okay with this?" He asked me, gesturing at the world in general.

I knew he meant moving in with Yuffie. It was weird for Cloud and Tifa to see us get so serious so soon. I mean, Cloud had dated Tifa since they were in high school, and they didn't move in together until they were 22.

Cloud and I had been friends since we were 13, so I knew he was just looking out for me. After all, for years and years, I had never been one to rush into things at all. I took my time, and I thought out a decision thoroughly before following through. But it just seemed like everything was falling into place perfectly. When I told him that, he nodded, but looked skeptical.

"I just don't want to miss out on something simply because I was afraid of moving things too quickly." I told him. "I'd never forgive myself if that happened. And while I do realize that things with Yuffie _are_ moving much faster than is usually socially acceptable, it's not an issue for us. With my chapter getting published, the paper wanting more, and publishers calling, it seemed like a good move to try and increase a sense of stability. Although," I said, chuckling softly as we heard Yuffie fall in the kitchen and tell Tifa she was okay, "Yuffie isn't much in the way of stability."

Cloud laughed at that, watching as I smiled fondly at Yuffie, who was poking her head out of the kitchen to assure me that she was okay, she had just slipped on "a particularly malicious piece of ice who was trained to be an assassin of the white rose of Wutai."

Tifa laughed at her dramatics, while I nodded seriously and told her to be more careful, or I'd have to hire a bodyguard. Yuffie squealed at my comment, delighted I was playing along. Then she ran back into the kitchen to save the rice, and Cloud smiled at me softly.

"I see what you mean." He said. "So, you don't think it's a bad idea, then?"

I shrugged. "Oh, I do think it's a bad idea. I'm at that place in my life where something bad is bound to happen, if for nothing but the simple fact that I'm way too happy for this to last."

Cloud laughed. "If anyone deserves happiness, it's you and Yuffie, Vincent. I think Minerva will be merciful here."

"I hope so. I'm much too happy to get worried about something. My whole life is coming together, and I'm only 23. I expected all of this at least 10 years later, if not more. I'm blessed, Cloud, and I'm thankful."

"Then I'm happy for you. Just…be careful. The last thing I want to see is either one of you get hurt."

"I don't plan on hurting her. I never will." I promised solemnly, feeling a sense of foreboding and getting a chill down my spine.

Then Yuffie poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled at me, telling me that dinner was ready, and the creepy feeling was gone. I was with the woman I loved, and I was insanely happy. What could go wrong?

* * *

**A/N: **Oooohhhhh, foreshadowing......*does spooky noises and wiggles fingers like an idiot*

lol, sorry, couldn't resist. Well, hope you enjoyed this more than I did, because I'm still not happy with this chapter. So please review! I'm going to try to respond to each reviewer next time, and make it a point to do so every time I update. Thank you again for reading, it really does mean the world to me. I almost cried with happiness when I saw how many hits I've been getting. So thank you so much. I wish I could do more for you, my wonderful readers!

xoxoxoxo,

Meyx


	5. A Part of That

**A/N: **First, let me apologize for the unannounced hiatus. RL has been crazy, and my computer's been hit with virus after virus. It's been ridiculous. So here's the new chapter, months later than it should have been posted, for any of you who are still reading. Sorry again!

* * *

**A Part of That (Yuffie)**

_And it's true;  
I tend to follow in his stride.  
Instead of side by side, I take his cue.  
True, but there's no question, there's no doubt,  
I said I'd stick it out and follow through_

"Vince? Vincent?" I called softly, trying to pick my way through the mess in the dark. I tripped over what looked like a pair of tennis shoes, and then threw my purse in the general direction of the armchair.

"Vincent!" I hissed, tripping again and again as I made my way to the bedroom.

I expected him to be dead asleep in bed, wrapped up in the blanket and somehow managing to take up the whole bed. But when I got to the bedroom, he was nowhere to be found. Sighing, I changed out of my work uniform and pulled on one of my husband's old tee-shirts, then stepped into my favorite pair of cheer shorts.

Once I was in my pajamas, I headed out in search of Vincent. The apartment wasn't _that_ big. I'd find him quickly, unless he'd gone out, which was unlikely, seeing as it was 3 in the morning. Knowing him, he'd fallen asleep in the office. I smiled to myself, imaging him sitting on the couch thinking about his book, then nodding off. It happened more often than he'd like to admit, but I was glad it did. It proved he was still human. Sometimes, I wondered about that. He survived on very little sleep, and at 27, he had already revolutionized his chosen field of work: writing.

Meanwhile, I was a young 26 year old who had yet to make her stamp on the world. I was still getting little to no callbacks, and lately the only form of work I seemed to have – other than my night job as a waitress at Seventh Heaven – was with a summer theatre crew. There were only 5 of us, including me. We were a ragtag crew, working for three months at a theatre in Healin. No one ever seemed to come to our shows, and I didn't make much money off of it. But it was work I loved to do, so I was grateful for it. Vincent didn't seem to understand how jealous I was that he not only got to do what he loved to do, he did it _well._ He was recognized, he was loved, he was getting famous, and all for something he loved to do.

I was happy for him, of course I was. But in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think: _That was supposed to be my life._

I shook off the envy that threatened to overtake me, taking comfort in the fact that even if I couldn't be successful right now, Vincent seemed to need me.

Then I reached the office, and saw a faint light on under the door. Thinking he must have fallen asleep with the desk lamp on, and smiling to myself, I gently pushed the door open. When I looked inside, though, I realized how wrong I had been. The light was coming from the computer, and Vincent was sitting in front of it, typing like a man possessed. He was still wearing the clothes he'd had on all day, which were now creased and rumpled. His hair was falling in his eyes, and he kept pushing the inky strands back with his hand, muttering angrily. I honestly half expected him to just cut them; he looked that desperate to get the words out. I knew that when Vincent needed to write, nothing could stand in the way of him and his story, but I had never seen him this frantic and crazed.

"Vincent? Vince, honey, come to bed. It's almost 3:30." I murmured, still standing just inside the door.

He didn't answer, and I knew better than to say it again. When he was up this late working, the office was his kingdom and I was the foreigner. All I could do was wait it out.

I didn't have long to wait. Though I'm not sure how much time passed, my eyes had barely started to wander before he leaned away from the computer, heaved a sigh, and then shoved his hair back. After grinning at the word-filled screen, obviously pleased with his work, he turned to look at me, the smile never wavering.

"Hey, it's my muse!" He said, his tone light and joking.

It was our running joke. When we had first started dating, his career took off. He had said it was because I had inspired him, and that I was what helped make his writing so realistic. It really hit home for me when his first book was published. The dedication read: _To my muse, the only woman who's ever understood me well enough to know that when I start pacing, it's usually time to move the rug before I trip. Thank you for being there for me every step of this crazy harebrained journey. I couldn't have asked for a better person to love. Yuffie, this one's for you._

I smiled to myself, remembering. It was nice to feel loved, to feel included. When Vincent talked about his writing, it always seemed like anything I said was taken incredibly seriously. His male characters had personality quirks that I suggested, and his female ones possessed some of my own. In a way, I was almost like a co-author. We were a team, and being a part of something Vincent loved so much was always rewarding.

Was I jealous of his success? No. I was absolutely _green_ with envy. It wasn't fair, in my mind, at least, that he could thrive so quickly and absolutely, while I was stuck at the bottom of the food chain. I had always sworn I would never become the girl who required a man to get by. I had promised myself that I would not be the girl who was trotting along at the genius' heels, but somewhere in the last 3 years, I had become my worst nightmare.

For his part, Vincent had done his best to get me more involved in my own dream, being a renowned actress. He'd hand me new copies of Back Stage, which held lists of auditions, and tell me that he thought I'd be good for this role, or that part. For the first few times, it was sweet and made me smile. Now it just seemed like he was mocking my failure.

Now, as I stared at his smile, I shook off those thoughts. Vincent would never be that cruel.

"Come to bed, love." I murmured, and he nodded once, standing up and leading me through the dark apartment.

OoOoOoO

The next few days made it easy to forget my jealousy, my failure, and Vincent's success. He was taking a week long break from his book to "clear his head". This provided us with ample time to spend with one another, and I reveled in the time we shared.

The first day, he helped me cook dinner, turning on a song I wasn't familiar with and then proceeding to dance around the kitchen. I laughed at his uncoordinated moves and whirled into his arms, joining him in the odd combination of a waltz and a tango he was producing.

I'd forgotten how much fun it was to be married to him. It was nice to have a reminder every now and again.

"Yuffie?" He said questioningly.

"Hmm?" I responded, looking up into his eyes before twirling around.

He effortlessly spun me back into his arms. "I'm almost done with this next draft. Once I get back to it, it should only take me a couple days to tie it all up. It'll go to the editors the week after next at the latest. Then I'll have at least two weeks to do nothing."

I nodded happily, knowing what he meant. Two weeks to ourselves; two weeks without that damned book coming between us.

We continued to dance, but three songs later, Vincent's head whipped towards the oven.

"The chicken!" He shouted, starting to move towards the oven.

I knew the chicken was already ruined. It'd been in the oven much too long; it would taste dry and nasty if we ate it. Smiling slightly, I tightened my grip on my husband.

"Let it burn." I said softly, kissing his lips gently.

He smiled back at me before turning me in a quick twirl and dipping me low at the end of it.

"As you wish," he said, kissing me.

OoOoOoO

A week and a half later, Vincent was almost done with the draft. I stood in the entryway to his office, watching him as he typed a long paragraph, then shook his head and erased it. I crossed my arms and tilted my head slightly to the side, feeling my hair barely brush my shoulder as I tried to get a better look at the computer screen.

He started muttering to himself and pushing his hair back, running his fingers almost violently through it. I knew then and there that I needed to intervene before he tore his hair out from frustration. Soundlessly, I crept up behind him and read what he had on the screen, my mouth tracing the words without a sound.

"Marry me," I said calmly.

"I beg your pardon?" Vincent asked, coming out of his reverie.

"Marry me. Please say you will," I told him with a hint of a smile. "That's what he needs to say here. There's no other way he can put it."

Vincent just stared at me, his eyes asking me to go on.

"Nothing flowery or descriptive will sound real. Jason's not a poet or anything close. He's just a guy, and like you, he's good with words, but bound to trip over them in important matters. He'll blurt it out, then immediately regret it. But Daisy won't care, she'll be too happy to be bothered with his bluntness. Besides, she's used to it. It's part of his charm by now."

Vincent stared at his computer monitor for a minute before looking back at me.

"You got all of that out of half a page of my writing?" He asked incredulously.

"I know you too well, Vinny." I said with a mischievous grin. "It'll work. Just write it."

Then I skipped out quickly, before he could realize I called him Vinny.

OoOoOoO

A few days later we were headed out to visit his editor. I was already in a bad mood because I had received a phone call that morning from the director of the latest play I had tried out for.

"You're a wonderful actress, Mrs. Valentine, but we're looking for someone a little more…" His voice trailed off, but he didn't need to finish.

Feminine, professional, calm, or – heaven forbid – _younger._ The words blended together in my mind as I calmly thanked the man and hung up. The answer was always the same. It was sugar-coated and phrased delicately, but it was always the same. No.

Once I had hung up the phone, I sighed and sat down on the kitchen counter, grabbing an apple and munching on it crossly.

"Yuffie, come on, let's go," Vincent said, breezing past me as he grabbed his coat and keys from the kitchen table.

"Oh Vincent, I don't know if I should." I said, still biting viciously into my apple.

My husband stopped and turned back to me, a quizzical look on his face. Then he saw the apple and the nearby phone that was sitting on top of the newest copy of Back Stage. I saw the realization dawn in his eyes, and expected him to kiss my cheek and tell me it'd be okay before leaving on his own.

Instead, he did something he hadn't done for almost 3 years. He grabbed the apple and tossed it into the trash while simultaneously pulling me off the counter. Then he proceeded to grab my coat for me, help me into it while ignoring my protests, and tell me that we were going out for ice cream.

"But you have to be at that meeting with your editor!" I insisted.

Vincent ignored my words and simply guided me out of the apartment and to our car. "You need ice cream more than I need to be at Tseng's office." He finally told me as we reached the car.

I stared at him as he opened the passenger door of our little car for me. He looked right back at me, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Yuffie, get in the car," he said gently, still fighting a smile. "Tseng can wait."

I grinned and threw myself at him, hugging him hard and kissing him full on the mouth.

"Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" I asked impishly.

"He's in his office, still working on an unnecessary part of his book. So hurry up and get in the car before he notices we're gone." Vincent responded, winking at me and helping me into the car.

"We better go, then!" I said, glad that for once, we were laughing and smiling with each other instead of fighting. The grins and cheeky remarks made a nice change, compared to our usual door slams and subtly cruel digs at one another.

OoOoOoO

After a half hour spent at an ice cream parlor we spent a lot of time in when we were first dating, Vincent and I left to go to his editor's office. The whole time we ate ice cream and the whole way to the office, Vincent kept assuring me that I'd get a job eventually, that soon someone would see my potential and give me the part I was so longing for. He tried to tell me that even if I didn't get a job here, I always had the summer job in Healin. I glared at him and he chuckled. He knew how much I hated Healin. After apologizing, he picked up right where he left off.

I really didn't want to dwell on my latest rejection, but I had to admit that talking to him about it made me feel a hell of a lot better.

We got to the editing agency and both of us walked inside and headed quickly for his office. We were both very familiar with the location, and Tseng was expecting us.

We got there quickly, and Tseng greeted us warmly, shaking Vincent's hand and kissing my cheek. He remarked on how short my hair was getting in comparison to Vincent's, who told Tseng that he didn't have time to worry about trivial things like hair. I laughed and explained that long hair got in my way and that I was forever trying to chop off Vincent's black mane of hair, but he wouldn't let me.

Once pleasantries were done with, Tseng and Vincent got down to business and I sat next to my husband, feeling a bit like an outsider as they spoke rapidly with one another. I knew this story inside and out, as Vincent often bounced ideas off me at home, but something about the way they worked and argued and laughed with one another made me feel very left out. My suspicions were confirmed when I tried to make a suggestion and Tseng kept talking, mowing over me like I hadn't said a word. When Vincent just kept nodding and making pleased faces, I quickly excused myself, claiming that I needed to use the restroom. Neither one of them noticed me leaving.

Instead of going to the bathroom and having a good cry, I forced myself to sit outside the office and pull the book I was reading out of my purse. But before I could open it, the secretary, a woman a few years older than me with pretty light blonde hair and a pleasant smile stopped me.

"Mrs. Valentine?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"I thought so!" The woman said happily. "I'm Elena. It's nice to meet you."

"Yuffie," I said with a small smile. "But you knew that already. How long have you been working here? I don't remember seeing you here before…"

"Only a few months. I've met your husband, but never you. He's a very nice man."

I smiled politely. "He has his good points."

"What's it like," she asked, her eyes lighting up as she leaning slightly over her desk towards me, "being married to such a brilliant writer?"

I opened my mouth, but then shut it quickly. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to tell her. There were so many intricacies of our relationship, so many ups and downs and turns…it was confusing to even me, and I lived it.

"It's…exhilarating." I said finally. "I swear our marriage is bipolar, or at least, he is. One minute we'll be laughing and having fun. The next minute he'll take off running for his office and start typing like a madman and I won't see him for four hours."

Elena looked a little shocked, and a bit unsure, like she thought I might be joking.

I smiled at her. "It's a real roller coaster ride, Elena. But I wouldn't change it for the world. Being a part of his life is amazing, even with all the stress these novels cause."

"Which I'm sure you're also a part of," she responded. I looked at her, confused. "The novels, I mean. He calls you his muse, after all."

"I suppose I am a part of them." I said thoughtfully, and Elena soon went back to her work.

I opened my book and tried to read, but Elena's remark about me being a part of Vincent's novels was bothering me for some reason. I stared at the pages in front of me but didn't see anything and I thought so hard I'm sure I went cross-eyed. Then I glanced back up at Tseng's office, where I could clearly see Vincent standing and nodding at Tseng. I heard him laugh and hand the editor his manuscript, and Tseng took it with a grin. I couldn't hear what they said over the sound of my own thoughts rushing through my head.

_I'm a part of that…aren't I?_

* * *

Please R&R! New chapter should be up before Christmas, SHOULD being the operative word here. Happy Holidays!

xoxo,

Meyx


	6. The Shuyin Song

**A/N: **I apologize in advance for the shameless fluff in here, but it's hard to rewrite songs from a play into whole chapters with stories! So this - as in the play - is a bit of a filler chapter. There is literally nothing in here but fluff and a bit of development on the events leading up to Vincent proposing. That being said, I hope you enjoy it! It follows the song in the play a lot more closely than the rest of my chapters, but it's unavoidable here. It was also impossible for me to write The Story of Schmuel with FFVII characters, as I couldn't find the right couple, so it's now The Story of Shuyin! (Yes, you're getting FFX-2 in a FFVII fic. I apologize.) Without further ado, here is "The Schmuel Song", transformed into "The Shuyin Song"

* * *

**The Shuyin Song**

_Shouldn't I want the world to see__  
__The brilliant girl who inspires me?__  
__Don't you think that now's a good time to be__  
__The ambitious freak you are?__  
__Say goodbye to wiping ashtrays at the bar__  
__Say hello to Yuffie Kisaragi, big-time star!_

"Happy Yuletide, Vinny!" Yuffie yelled, opening the door to our apartment and hurrying in to hug me, smelling of cranberries and snow.

I hugged her tightly, shutting the door behind her with my foot. I didn't bother trying to avoid the snowflakes on her; she was _covered _in the stuff. After a moment, I released her. She tugged off her gloves and pulled her hat off, quickly shedding the wet outer layers she had on, leaving her in her jeans, sweater, and socks. She picked up the boxes she had dropped next to the door, and hurried to the fire, sitting cross legged in front of it. Yuffie looked over at me, smiling and patting the carpet next to her.

"C'mon, Vincent, it's time to open presents! You're going to _love _mine." She said, her eyes sparkling.

I smiled at her, grabbed a couple blankets, my little notebook, and the present I had bought for her months earlier. I wrapped a blanket around my longtime girlfriend's small shoulders before sitting down, slyly hiding her present behind me. She looked through the boxes, as eager as a little girl. Yuffie, being Wutai, had never celebrated Yuletide as a child. The winter festivals in Wutai were much different, and presents weren't customary. When she moved to Edge and discovered Yuletide, Yuffie was hooked. She started decorating her – well, now it was _our_ – apartment a full month early. She had bought presents for everyone and thrown 2 parties, which would have been adorable if I hadn't had to clean up all the mess she left from trying to wrap the presents and from the parties.

"Okay, this is from Tifa and Cloud," she said, handing me a medium sized box.

We opened presents for almost an hour, stopping only to make some hot chocolate. Yuffie insisted on having a ridiculous amount of whipped cream on top of her drink, leaving her with a dollop of it on her nose. I couldn't bring myself to tell her it was there until I took a picture with her. It was much too cute.

"Okay, this one is from me, for you," she finally told me, handing me a small box that was wrapped haphazardly with a bow larger than the box itself on top and more tape than paper.

I held in a snort, and started to unwrap it slowly, just to watch Yuffie silently freak out. When I finally opened the box under the paper, my eyes widened.

"Yuffie…it's perfect." I whispered, looking up from the package and smiling at her. "Thank you."

She smiled broadly before kissing me quickly. "I'm glad you like it. I was really worried the colors would come out wrong."

I shook my head, staring at it in wonder. "It's absolutely perfect."

It was a notebook, clothbound, the way I preferred them. It was thick, but still small enough to fit in my coat pocket. The cover was a deep burgundy, and had my name embossed on the bottom right hand corner. I loved it.

"My turn?" She asked hopefully after another kiss.

She had whipped cream on her nose again, and her eyes were wide and sparkling. Her cheeks were flushed and the ends of her hair were still a tad wet. She had never looked more beautiful to me.

I stood up; my blanket still wrapped around me, and picked up my gift for her. She reached for it but I held it just out of her reach.

"Wait. First, a story; a Yuletide story, for my muse," I said, and held up my old notebook. "As you can see, it's new and unpublished. I finished it last week, so I didn't have time to edit it, sorry."

She shook her head and waved a hand, dismissing my apologies. "Just read me the story, Vincent." Yuffie told me, laughter dancing in her dark eyes.

I nodded and started reading.

"The Story of Shuyin, the Tailor of Zanarkand." I said, and Yuffie snorted. "It's a working title!" I protested.

She nodded, still chuckling to herself.

Trying my best to ignore her, I turned the page to read the beginning of the story. Taking a break from my traditional writing style, I had written this the way a fairy tale would be written, with an almost sing-song rhyme quality to the words.

"Shuyin would work until half past ten in his tailor shop in Zanarkand, then get up at dawn and start again with the hems and pins and twists. Forty one years had come and gone in his tailor shop in Zanarkand, watching the winters soldier on; there was one thing that Shuyin missed."

Yuffie was hooked. I could see her leaning forward, her blanket sliding down her arms. She was already staring at me with childlike intensity, and I was barely a paragraph in. Stifling a smile, I continued reading, adjusting my voice for Shuyin's dialogue.

"'If I only had time,' old Shuyin said, 'I'd build the dress that's in my head. A dress to fire the mad desire of the girls from here to Baaj, but I have no more hours left to sew.'

"Then the clock upon the wall began to glow." I continued, lowering my voice for effect.

"And the clock said, 'Shuyin, you'll get to be happy, I grant you unlimited time! So Shuyin, go sew and be happy!'

"But Shuyin said, 'No, no, it's not my lot. I've got to make due with the time I've got.'

"Shuyin was done at half past ten and he said good night to Zanarkand, put on his coat to go, but the clock cried, 'Wait, not yet! Even though you're not rich or grand, you're the finest man in Zanarkand. Listen up, Shuyin! Make one stitch and you'll see what you can get.'

"But Shuyin said, 'Oh clock, it's much too late! I'm at peace with my life and I accept my fate.' Then the clock said, 'Shuyin, one stitch and you win! You will unlock the dreams you have lost.'

"So Shuyin, with reluctance, took his thread. He pulled a bolt of velvet and he said, 'I should go home and go to bed, but I'm sitting here with talking clocks instead.'

"The clock continued to urge him forward, whispering promises of unlimited time as Shuyin put the thread through the needle's eye. The moon stared down at them from a starless sky, and as Shuyin pushed the thread through the velvet black, he saw that the old clock was turning…back."

Yuffie gasped, and I smiled at her, looking over the top of my notebook at her in amusement.

"Don't stop!" She whined, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders again. "Keep going!"

I cleared my throat and took a drink of my now lukewarm hot chocolate before continuing.

"So he grabbed his shears and he cut some lace as the hands moved left on the battered clock face. Shuyin's fingers flew and as the fabric swirled, it was 8:15 all around the world. Every cut and stitch was a perfect fit, as if the Fayth themselves were controlling it. And then Shuyin cried through a rush of tears, 'Take me back! Take me back all forty one years!'

"And on it went, down that silent street, until Shuyin's dress was at last complete. He stretched his arms and closed his eyes as the morning sun finally started to rise.

"Now, the dress he made on that endless night was a dress that could make any soul take flight. Nothing had gone to waste; every ribbon and button was perfectly placed. And sewn into the seams were forty one years worth of dreams, dreams that you could feel coming real."

I recited the next part from memory simply to be able to watch Yuffie's reaction to the ending.

"And that very dress, or so the papers swore, is a dress that a girl from Southern Zanarkand wore on the day she promised forevermore to love a young man named…Shuyin."

Yuffie's eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her lips.

"Now, plenty have hoped and dreamed and prayed, but they can't get out of Zanarkand. If Shuyin had been an adorable Wutai woman, he'd have looked a lot like you. I'm not sure what's worrying you so much to stop you from trying to act again. Maybe your heart is completely swayed, but your head can't follow through. But Yuffie, I _want _the world to know you. You're brilliant and talented and inspiring, and I think that now is a damn good time to be the ambitious woman I met in Tifa's bar. So stop settling for serving peanuts at 7th Heaven, because baby, you are so much better than that!

"Now, I say, Yuffie, you'll get to be happy. I'll give you unlimited time! So go, and be _happy._ Here's the address of a headshot guy, and the newest copy of Back Stage."

I handed her the magazine and the sheet of paper before grabbing the box with her gift again, holding it so I could snap it open at just the right moment.

"Take a breath, take a step, take a chance, take…your…" I opened it, "time."

Inside the box was a thin and feminine white gold watch with Yuffie's birthstone in the middle. I pulled it out and fastened it gently on her wrist as she stared at me with tear-filled eyes. I brushed some whipped cream off her nose and smiled tenderly at her.

"Have I mentioned today how lucky I am to be in love with you?" I whispered.

She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me hard, making me topple onto my back. When she released me, she grinned down at me. Her smile was radiant, and I knew then and there that I would propose to her before springtime.

"Happy Yuletide, Vincent." She told me, still smiling.

"Happy Yuletide, love."

* * *

Merry Christmas, everyone! I'll have the next chapter up sometime around New Year's Day. As always, thank you for reading.

xoxo,

Meyx


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